When Uchiha Kagami regained consciousness, he found himself in a familiar-looking place. After a moment of confusion, he realized it was the medical tent. Apart from visiting his subordinates, he had never been there at any other time.
Someone nearby noticed the movement and, seeing Uchiha Kagami open his eyes, excitedly stood up and walked over, saying, "Lord Kagami, are you alright…?"
However, Uchiha Kagami didn't hear her words. He hadn't fully recovered from his journey to the underworld, and Madara's past still vaguely flickered before his eyes. He had never experienced Madara's inner world so closely before; even Madara's closest friend, Hashirama, probably didn't know.
Uchiha Kagami could still feel Madara's love for him, and after truly understanding Madara's inner world, he had completely forgiven everything that happened back then. However, before he could say anything to Madara, he returned to the human world. Although he felt the joy of being alive, a longing still echoed within him.
—Wait, Uncle, I still have something to say!
But no matter what, Uchiha Kagami couldn't go back, not unless he experienced death again. And Madara had likely already chosen to ascend—this was a realization he came to after knowing Madara's inner world. Madara had left, completely left.
Just as Uchiha Kagami felt lost at Madara's complete departure, he felt a surge of heat from his eyes, and his temples seemed to throb. The intense stimulation made his tears flow uncontrollably, followed by sharp pain, causing him to cry out.
"Lord Kagami, Lord Kagami—" The nurse beside him was terrified. She called Uchiha Kagami's name and, seeing no response, quickly went to call a doctor.
Uchiha Kagami raised his hand to cover his eyes. He felt as if his entire head was being roasted over a fire, about to be steamed. He was very familiar with this sensation; it was what happened when his Sharingan awakened back then, but the reaction was never this intense.
However, Uchiha Kagami's Sharingan had clearly reached its complete state. Why would there be such a reaction? Could it be—
Uchiha Kagami didn't have time to think deeply. The intense stimulation and pain made him feel as if his eyes were bleeding, and he had an urge to gouge them out.
At this moment, someone entered the tent, but Uchiha Kagami couldn't hear anything they said until the pain slowly subsided. Only then did he faintly hear other people's voices, and he could feel an abnormally powerful ocular power condensing in his eyes—a sensation his Sharingan had never had before.
"Lord Kagami, your eyes…" Everyone nearby was dumbfounded. Uchiha Kagami couldn't see them himself, but everyone else could see clearly.
Each of them recognized the appearance of the Sharingan, but they had never seen a Sharingan like this. Inside, there were no traditional "tomoe," but rather a new, intertwined pattern, complex and novel, as rich and colorful as a kaleidoscope.
After more than thirty years, apart from those who lived in the same era as Uchiha Madara or knew the family's secret documents, the younger generation didn't know about the Mangekyo Sharingan. Even within the Uchiha clan, it was the same. Nevertheless, those present could still feel the power of these eyes.
"Are you alright, Lord Kagami?" After seeing Uchiha Kagami's expression calm down, someone asked cautiously.
"I'm fine, thank you all for your hard work." The pain in Uchiha Kagami's eyes had now diminished to a negligible level, though there was still a slight feeling of soreness. He knew, of course, that his eyes now possessed the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan. He hadn't expected to obtain it in this way.
At this moment, Uchiha Kagami recalled what Madara had said before leaving, as well as what he had learned in Madara's inner world. He mused, so this was the gift Uncle had spoken of. And the source of the Sharingan's power was indeed love, but specifically, lost love.
Back then, Tobirama had researched the Uchiha clan's Sharingan.
Uchiha clan members who lose love would generate special chakra in their brains, thereby stimulating visual nerve abnormalities, which is how the Sharingan is born. He concluded that the Sharingan is "the eye that reflects the heart."
Tobirama also believed that Uchiha clan members who lose love would develop an inner void and a change in temperament. One reason for this was that during the development of the Sharingan, the brain's emotional structure would gradually change, causing them to lean more and more towards negative emotions.
It was precisely because he recognized this that Tobirama believed the Uchiha clan was an unstable family. Their kekkei genkai led them towards negativity. Powerful kekkei genkai all seemed to be like this, always having some side effects.
However, after discussing with Kazamori Masaki, it was believed that although the Sharingan had such a tendency, if controlled well, it might also transform in a positive direction. The main reason for the Uchiha clan's instability was the Sharingan's emotional influence on the brain. Therefore, they could try methods to reduce the Sharingan's influence.
Uchiha Kagami believed such a method definitely existed. For example, the medical department's psychology research discipline was a good thing. He had seen some clan members try it, and their temperaments had indeed improved. In the future, there would certainly be increasingly better methods to prevent Uchiha clan members from falling into the abyss of madness due to the Sharingan.
Uchiha Kagami took a deep breath, his eyes changing from blood-red to black. At this moment, he noticed that his left arm was missing. He could still feel its presence, but upon seeing it with his own eyes, he realized his left arm was truly gone.
"I'm sorry, Lord Kagami. Although you stopped the blood flow to prevent the toxin from spreading, it also caused your left arm to completely necrotize. We had no choice but to amputate it, otherwise, we couldn't fully remove the toxin," one of the medical ninja said.
"I understand. It couldn't be helped. You don't need to blame yourselves," Uchiha Kagami said gently. He felt lucky to have survived and to have reached the Mangekyo Sharingan stage. There was no need to ask for anything more. As long as his Sharingan was still there, his combat strength wouldn't be lost too much. As for ninjutsu that required hand signs, there was still the path of one-handed hand signs, which he believed he could learn.
"Thank you for your understanding." The medical ninja bowed to Uchiha Kagami, then stated that they needed to perform a physical examination. Uchiha Kagami nodded, allowing them to proceed with the examination.
"You're fine, just need to recuperate slowly," the medical ninja said.
"Thank you. Can you call someone who can explain the situation?" Uchiha Kagami asked.
"Alright," the medical ninja agreed, leaving the caregivers behind. The others left the tent, and Uchiha Kagami waited inside.
After a while, someone entered. Uchiha Kagami glanced at them and recognized their identity: one of his subordinates who had been with him at the time. The subordinate looked very excited, and Uchiha Kagami smiled and comforted them, assuring them he was fine, then inquired about the situation at the time.
"We barely managed to withstand the traitors' attacks. Just as we were running out of strength, we suddenly heard an explosion. They seemed a bit rattled, which gave us a chance to catch our breath," the subordinate replied. "However, we still couldn't defeat those guys."
Uchiha Kagami understood. Those were the people chosen by Uchiha Setsuna, all elites of the clan. Even his own subordinates were handpicked, but facing well-rested Uchiha elites, they were still somewhat outmatched. However, looking at the current situation, at least some of his subordinates had survived. He gestured for them to continue.
"Just when we thought it was over, our reinforcements arrived. They were the ones assigned to guard the town," the subordinate said. "They encountered an ambush by Sand Village ninja forces on their way. After a fierce battle, once they stabilized the front line, realizing the intelligence leak, they worried about the situation here and sent reinforcements, which saved our lives."
"Good luck indeed," Uchiha Kagami chuckled. They faced danger from Uchiha Setsuna and others due to the Sand Village ambush, but also because of the Sand Village ambush, the main combat force realized the situation here and sent people to help in time, saving their lives.
"Afterward, we went to search for you, Lord, and that scoundrel Uchiha Setsuna. We found you barely alive and Uchiha Setsuna's corpse," the subordinate continued. "We rushed you to the medical camp, called the best doctors, and after amputating your heavily poisoned left arm, finally saved your life. However, you were still in critical condition. Seeing you awake now, it's truly… wonderful." At this point, his voice choked with emotion.
Uchiha Kagami was always very good to his subordinates. Basically, no one disliked him as a superior. Both clan ninja and civilian ninja respected him greatly. The only ones who would hate Uchiha Kagami were probably Uchiha Setsuna and his ilk.
"I understand the general situation. So, how was this matter handled in the camp afterward?" Uchiha Kagami asked the next question he was concerned about. First, it was confirmed that Uchiha Setsuna was the traitor who leaked information. But the problem was that Uchiha Setsuna didn't act alone; it was a collective conspiracy, even ambushing Uchiha Kagami, a high-ranking village official. Such a matter couldn't simply be brushed aside.
"Of course, there was a thorough investigation! Those scoundrels, Uchiha Setsuna and his crew, their deaths might be the end for them, but none of their accomplices will be spared." A look of disgust flashed across the subordinate's face. He truly detested Uchiha Setsuna and his group, feeling that their deaths were too easy for them. "The Anbu has already begun investigating this matter, controlling everyone who might have colluded with Uchiha Setsuna. The investigation is still ongoing. Because of this, all operations on the western front have been suspended."
"Is that so?" Uchiha Kagami felt a little worried upon hearing this. The suspension of operations was unavoidable. This was a very serious betrayal incident that couldn't be resolved simply by Uchiha Setsuna and others being executed. They might not even be the masterminds—of course, Uchiha Setsuna was definitely the ringleader, but his accomplices might not all have been involved. If his accomplices weren't found, it would be a ticking time bomb, and such an incident could recur. The Hidden Leaf Village could hardly accept the death of a high-ranking official.
"I can't participate in this matter right now. You all just keep an eye on it and tell me the conclusions of the investigation," Uchiha Kagami said.
"Yes." The subordinate also knew that Uchiha Kagami, as a high-ranking official of the village, couldn't ignore this matter. "I will inform you of any new developments."
"I hope this matter doesn't implicate too many people," Uchiha Kagami sighed softly, with a hint of worry. "If the consequences are too severe, it might affect the village's operations."
"There's no need to sympathize with those traitors," the subordinate said. "Anyone who genuinely betrayed the village, I believe, should be executed."
"Traitors certainly cannot be let off. I am not that generous to let go of people who tried to harm me. I am worried about other aspects," Uchiha Kagami was not a naive person, but he worried that if this matter implicated too many people, it could cause a rather negative impact. His fear was that innocent people might also be dragged in, leading to some irreversible consequences.
Uchiha Kagami's concerns aside, due to this incident, the planned large-scale counterattack had been completely halted. The main focus was on stabilization, and the village's priority was now to clear out internal corruption, rooting out anyone who might repeat Uchiha Setsuna's actions.
One of the people most deeply connected to Uchiha Setsuna was his adopted son, Uchiha Ken. When this reincarnation of Indra heard the news of Uchiha Setsuna's death, he didn't even pay attention to the words that followed. His entire brain instantly went blank. For him, having lost his father at a young age, Uchiha Setsuna was like another father, and their bond was deep. He found it difficult to accept this news.
And when he vaguely came to his senses, his eyes had already taken on the appearance of the Sharingan, and the patterns within were new, like a Mangekyo. After learning that the only person he could call family had left, his Sharingan, which had already reached its complete state, advanced once more, achieving the Mangekyo Sharingan stage.
It was also later that Uchiha Ken learned his father was a traitor, who conspired to ambush the clan head, Uchiha Kagami. This news struck him with another huge shock. Facing the Anbu members who came to request him to undergo investigation, Uchiha Ken showed no reaction, simply following the Anbu in a daze.
Such incidents were now constantly playing out in the Hidden Leaf camp. Anyone found to have been overly close with Uchiha Setsuna or to have possibly colluded with him was taken away by the Anbu for interrogation. The first large-scale internal purge since the founding of the Hidden Leaf Village had begun.